"Yahiko didn't stop by today." Tae gently pulled the curtain over the
front entrance to the Akabeko and slid the door shut, locking it. "I
have to admit, I'm a little surprised, Tsubame. And he's not here to
pick you up either, and it's already dark outside."

"He's not coming today." Tsubame answered, her gentle nature completely
intact. She smiled at her employer. "He sent one of the students by
late this afternoon with a note."

Tae turned and walked back down the main aisle towards Tsubame, untying
her apron. "What did the note say? It's just so unusual for him not
to come by after we close to walk you home."

Tsubame pulled the note from inside her kimono and unfolded it. "He
pulled a muscle during training this morning. And Kaoru-San insisted
he go to Megumi-San's so she could make sure it wasn't anything
serious."

"That's unlike Yahiko as well." Tae remarked. "I don't think I've ever
known him to get hurt in training, even if it's just a stained muscle!
I wonder what on earth happened..."

"Today was advanced training." Tsubame explained, perfectly aware of
the Kamiya Kasshin training schedule. "He was probably getting
aggravated at a student who wasn't learning right." she giggled. "I'll
drop by there tomorrow before I come into work to see if he's feeling
any better. He's probably not in a good mood right now."

"But still..." Tae's brow creased together in slight worry. "Are you
going to be alright walking back home this evening? It's late and it's
dark. I don't know if I like you walking back home by yourself."

Tsubame shook her head and smiled. "I'll be fine, Tae-San. It's not
too far, and Yahiko only walks me home to be polite."

Tae laughed. "To be polite? Really, Tsubame-Chan!"

Tsubame blushed. "But...he does!"

"He cares much more for you then just that." Tae replied, reassuringly.

"If he didn't, he wouldn't come up here everyday at lunch to see you,
and he wouldn't walk you home at night, and he wouldn't take you to the
festivals every year."

"I know... And I care a lot about Yahiko too..." Tsubame turned and
pulled her arpon off, hanging it on a nail in the back of the room.
She smiled to herself as his image flashed in her mind. "He's always
so nice to me..."

Tae opened the back door and let Tsubame walk out. She shut the door
and locked it behind her. "Well, do be careful tonight. And tell
Yahiko when you see him tomorrow that I hope he feels better."

Tsubame nodded. "I will. Arigrato, Tae-San!" she waved and headed off
in the opposite direction, disappearing into the dark streets of Toyko.

Tsubame wasn't sure how long Yahiko had been walking her home each
evening, but it had been for quite some time. She figured it had
started when he was around 13 or 14 years old. He would drop by in the
evenings and help her and Tae close the Akabeko - then he would walk
her back towards her home. By the time he was 16, he was walking her
home every night, and never failed to appear to take her home. Tonight
was the first night in several years he hadn't come, but Tsubame wasn't
very concerned about it. She knew he had good reason not to come; and
she was perfectly sure his note wasn't a lie. The student who had
dropped it off explained to her that Yahiko had indeed pulled a muscle
during practice that morning. She smiled. She would definitely drop
by the next day and make sure he was feeling better.

Though it was already very dark within the city, she showed no real
outward fear of walking alone. She saw no one out, but that was
typical this late in the evening. Besides, she thought, she was 17
years old, and was perfectly capable of walking to her house - even
though Yahiko's company and presence beside her would have been nice.

Her sandels clicked against the road, creating the only sound minus the
light breeze and the cicadas. But when a bumping noise from the
shadows broke the rythmn of her walk, she stopped in surprise and
turned, her eyes wideneing.

"Who's there?" she asked, glancing around. Nothing happened. Taking a
deep breath, she shrugged the noise off and assumed it had only been a
cat or a dog, knocking something over.

That's when someone grabbed her wrist from behind her, and twisted her
around. Tsubame screamed slightly, trying to break free from the harsh
grip, but it only tightened. Her eyes opened to see a rough man
grinning at her, his shaggy hair framing his face.

"Who are you?" she demanded as bravely as possible - but her voice
still hinted her fear.

"My name isn't important." he replied with a cackling laugh that made
her shiver. "However, you ARE Tsubame, right?"

"How do you know my name?" Her eyes widened even more.

"You work at the Akabeko... and before that, you were in forced to work
for a gang."

She instantly tried to pull away again. "Let me go! Please!" The
grip twisted her arm behind her, and she found she couldn't move. The
pain of the hold shot up her arm and through her body, and she forced
her tears back. "What do you want?"

"I'm not at liberty to say." The man answered with a shrug. "But our
boss wanted me to come get you. It's a perfect night for it too; since
that Kamiya brat isn't walking you home this evening! You're probably
wondering how I know all that. Well, I still can't say, but the boss
might tell you if you're good and if you keep quiet!" He started
pulling her through the alleys.

"Who's this boss of yours?" Tsubame yanked back again, trying to break
free. "And why does he want me?"

"I told you, keep quiet, and you'll get your answers later!" the man
answered angrily. "I'm tired of you trying to break away!" his hand
came down against her face hard, and she winced. Suddenly her head
felt dizzy, and everything around her went dark.

The man paused as she went limp against his arm. He snorted and lifted
her to his shoulder, wrapping one arm around her legs. "She gave out
fast." he muttered, stepping through the shadows. "I can't see what
that damn Yahiko sees in her. But, if this plan works out right, both
bosses with have their revenge." He smiled evilly and disappeared into
the night...